After a year plagued by sludge problems - including an Olympic-sized wastewater spill into the harbour - a report has concluded Wellington's current approach to water is not working.
Collapsed wastewater tunnels and a looming sludge overload have wreaked havoc in the capital in the past 12 months, and prompted the establishment of a task force dedicated to Wellington's water woes.
The taskforce is now suggesting drinking and wastewater assets could be transferred to a multi-region, publicly owned entity, and has highlighted the imminent need to replace certain networks and assets.
The Three Waters Taskforce Report was released today, with the unanimous conclusion the current system would not meet future demand, aspirations, or community expectations.
The task force was established in March in the wake of infrastructure and environmental problems that came to a head in late 2019 – early 2020.
"Council clearly heard the public concerns at the increased number of wastewater and drinking water leaks across the city and the increasing concern about the effect these asset failures have on our freshwater and coastal marine environments and, frankly, our reputation," said Wellington Mayor Andy Foster.
"At the heart of these problems is water infrastructure that has not received sufficient investment to maintain the levels of performance expected by the public, or to accommodate the impacts of growth and to reduce the impact of the services on the environment."
The task force recommendations include ensuring that all money collected against depreciation of the three waters assets is reinvested in renewing the three waters network.
About 30 per cent of drinking water networks and 20 per cent of wastewater networks in Wellington have already passed their nominal economic life.
Up to 60 per cent of pipeline assets need to be replaced in the next 30 years.
"As these assets age they are becoming increasingly prone to failure and interim repairs are absorbing an increasing amount of available funding, making less available for planned maintenance and renewals and increasing the risk of future problems," Foster said.
Moa Point treatment plant. Photo / Mark Mitchell
"Couple this with the looming threat of climate change-related stresses on our water system from drought, high intensity rainfall and sea level rise and it is clear that there is urgency to take action now."
About 374,000 tonnes of sludge is processed at Moa Point treatment plant annually - a quantity which is expected to increase as the population grows.
Sludge became a household name in Wellington after two high-pressure pipes running underneath Mt Albert failed in January, triggering a 24-hour trucking operation to get it to the landfill.
A team of technicians had to fly in from Germany to fix the pipes as the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic raged across the globe.
"If we do not act now, deferring these renewals and upgrades will lead to more burst pipes, more money being spent on unplanned reactive pipe repairs, more environmental pollution, and costly solutions such as hundred of millions of dollars for additional drinking water storage capacity," Foster said today.
"The immediate priority is to acquire much better knowledge of the actual condition of our underground assets, so we know where and when to invest. We have already allocated extra funding for condition assessment in the current 2020-21 year."
The Government recently announced a national water reform programme, which "aligns closely with the task force's conclusions", Foster said.
The task force has suggested aligning with the Government's proposal to transfer drinking and wastewater assets to a publicly owned entity which council participates in governing.
It has also recommended looking into more affordable ways to pay for water infrastructure, including water metering.
